The Martyr
by The Assassin Alchemist
Summary: Perhaps Roy wasn't as strong as he acted. Maybe that first night of fleeting regret was all it took to turn his more-or-less innocent motives into those of revenge. All it took was a phone call and a stack of books to get the ball rolling. Maybe Mustang knew revenge wouldn't bring his best friend back. Maybe it really didn't matter. T for foul language. Royai. Complete.
1. You Can't Go Alone

**Ok, so be gentle, because this is my first FMA fic. They might be a little OOC, but this is a exercise to learn them a bit better. **

**Just to clarify, this is AU based on what would happen if Roy helped Sheska when she wanted him to help her solve Hughes case in FMA2003. **

Roy's hands pressed against his temples as he took in the next few lines of the book. He'd never been much of a reader, especially if he wasn't forced to, but this week had been different. He let out a frustrated sigh as his hand flipped the page aside with much unnecessary force. The dim light on the corner of his desk shook gently. The Colonel glanced up. He had been at this for hours after he should have gone home. The entire week had been like that; staying overtime, getting home at one or two, and finally falling asleep just before three only to have to get up and do it over again.

Roy ran his fingers through his already disheveled dark hair. The Colonel tapped his fingers in agitation against the dark wood of his desk. "Dammit," he whispered as he realized he hadn't paid attention to the last half of a page he'd read. He was currently on the third—or maybe fourth, he'd lost count—book Hughes had read just before his death.

And so far, he was as lost as ever.

The only thing he had found that was useful was one little line drawn lightly in pencil under the name 'Douglas'. Of course, Mustang had scanned through most of the records for anyone named Douglas. He only found two: Douglas Rogg and Douglas Moites. Both of them had checked out, though, Rogg had been out of town to visit his wife and son and Moites had been in the infirmary for the whole night with three nurses on duty.

Roy shook his head in annoyance. It was so like Hughes to leave him nothing to go on. He read over the last paragraph once more. He held his middle finger and thumb together, as if he would snap at any moment to just forget about this entire thing. He sighed, emotions flooding the emotionally strong man.

"If only you had told me, Hughes." The Colonel's deep voice bounced off the empty office walls. He tossed the book on the ground, losing his patience for the fifth time that day and held his face in his hands. At least no one was around to question him.

As if on command, the door squeaked open. "Sir?" First Lieutenant Hawkeye's voice was as calm and collected as ever. It brought a small, sad smile to the Colonel's face. Of course she would still be here, even after he had dismissed everyone several hours ago.

"I've been meaning to get that door fixed," Roy stated, voice muffled by his hands. He didn't look up at her as he usually did when she entered his office. He could hear her footsteps echo in the room. Everything was so quiet and surreal, so strange compared to everything bouncing around in his head. He looked up to find Hawkeye still close to the door, but she had moved in order to shut it.

"The door is fine, sir." Riza glanced back over at the door, and then allowed her chocolate brown eyes to settle on her superior. She blinked at him, allowing him a few seconds before she spoke again: "If I may ask, sir, what is bothering you?"

Roy sighed. "Has everyone left, First Lieutenant?" He propped his head up on his folded hands. He was too tired to sit up straight.

"Yes, sir."

"Then why do you keep calling me 'sir'?"

Riza sighed and folded her arms across her chest. She knew him better than anyone. Riza had sworn her life to protect him so that he could reach his goal. It was her _job _to know him better than anyone else. "Roy, what's going on? You never stay this late."

"I've got a lot going on, Hawkeye." He sighed, standing up and straightening his uniform. Roy walked around the desk to retrieve the book before she attempted to. He didn't want her getting involved in this. Mustang had no idea who was behind this, but he wouldn't let them take two of his closest friends.

Roy glanced over at her, noticing the slight faults in her perfect composure. Riza had always been the prime example of self-control. She kept such a tight lease on her emotions that sometimes it was scary. If her self-control ever faltered, there would be hell to pay.

The Colonel set the book down on the desk with a harsh sound that made his ears ring. "Dammit, Riza! I'm trying to protect you!" He lowered his voice to a more dangerous octave. "Don't give me that look."

Riza set her jaw. Roy swallowed nervously.

"Permission to speak freely, Colonel?"

"Granted." Roy said quietly, ashamed of himself already. She didn't even have to say anything to make him feel bad. He was pathetic. Roy clenched his fists. Riza took several long strides across the room, her footsteps falling surprisingly heavy, until she was face-to-face with Roy.

"It is _not _your job to protect _me_, Roy. It is _my _job to protect _you_." Her voice was steady, but each word was laced with its own special venom. Roy let himself smile at her carefully. Riza shook her head at him. "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm looking into some stuff on Hughes, that's all." He chose his words carefully. "Go home. You need your rest, Riza."

She paused for a moment. "Is that an order, sir?" She stood at attention, obviously offended by him not revealing what he was up to. Roy shook his head and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want you getting hurt." It took a lot to say that out loud. She knew it did. It was obvious by the way his eyes went from warm to dark to blank. He hated being open, even with her.

"You're not acting like yourself, Roy." She whispered, patting his cheek gently. He smiled down at her, not the normal smile you would expect from someone, but a smile that was engulfed in pain and confusion. One that made reminded Riza of Ishval. She shook her head gently.

"Hughes wouldn't want this and you know that. You're killing yourself over all this." She motioned to the books. "Do you even know anything?"

Roy froze, biting his lip at her question. Should he lie? Riza gave him a stern look. She was a grown woman and she could handle herself. He knew that, but, still, he couldn't be the one to put her in danger. He sighed and she crossed her arms once more. _Fine_. He'd tell her. Maybe she could make some sense out of it.

"All I've found is this," Roy flipped back to the page with 'Douglas' underlined in pencil and showed his first lieutenant. Riza tapped her foot, something she did when she was deep in thought.

"So, this 'Douglas' character is supposedly the cause of the Ishval war?" She snorted, "How could that have anything to do with Hughes?"

"I don't know. But it does, I can _feel _it, Hawkeye." He pulled out the papers that documented the two Douglas's alibies and handed them over to her. "They're the only one's here with that name."

"First name?"

Roy blinked in confused. "Huh?"

"You only checked for the first name?"

Astonished by his own stupidity, he grabbed his hair and shook his head. "I didn't even think about—"

He was cut off by Hawkeye pushing him out from in front of the desk as she sorted through papers. Roy rubbed his arm where she pushed him; it hadn't hurt, but it had surprised him. Riza was never rough with him.

"Juliet Douglas." Riza whispered, glancing over at Roy before shaking her head in confusion. Roy held a finger up to his lips and shook his head.

"Don't—"

A loud, high pitched ringing caused the two to jump. Riza instinctively reached for her gun concealed on her back. Roy laughed gently once he realized it was the phone ringing. Riza blinked and sighed in relief. She hated being jumpy. Roy picked up the receiver, half expecting to hear Hughes's voice on the other end. His heart panged in agony, causing his hand to cover it as if it was a physical pain.

"H-hello?" He asked the phone, too distracted to form a proper greeting.

"Colonel Roy Mustang. This is the Furer's secretary, Juliet Douglas," the voice paused as Roy went completely still.

"Yes, how are you?" He smiled, careful to leave out her name to keep Riza from hearing. He knew she'd want to tag along if things went badly. If keeping her promise meant her getting hurt or dying, then he didn't want her to keep her promise.

"Well. I am calling on account of the Furer. He would like to speak to you in…" she paused as if she was reading something, "about twenty minutes. He says it is urgent."

"Thank you, I'll be there." He hung the phone up and smiled over at Riza. As always, she was wearing the most indifferent expression. Thankfully, she hadn't overheard his conversation. Roy smiled, pulling the collar of his blue jacket down. Riza returned his small smile.

"I just need to run an errand and I'm on my way home. You should get going. It's getting late." Roy smiled over at her. She didn't flinch, blink, nothing. She just stared at him, brown eyes boring a hole into his head. He sighed and held his arms out to her. Riza closed the few feet between them and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll take that as an order, sir."

"You better," he whispered, resting his chin atop her head. He breathed in her scent, some combination of honey and rain. He'd miss that. Roy patted her back and sighed. "Thank you, Riza." He whispered, voice so quiet she almost missed it.

She leaned away for a moment to look up at him. "For what?"

He pulled her back against his chest for a few seconds. "For everything."

She pushed away from him after a few minutes. Straightening her posture, she nodded to him and smiled. "You sure you don't need me to go with you? Streets are dangerous at night."

"No, I'll be fine. Now get home, that's an order, lieutenant." Roy smiled as he followed her to the door. He shut the large oak door behind them with a loud heavy _thunk_. Riza gave him one last look before she nodded and started down the hall that led to the stairs.

"See you tomorrow, Colonel. Get some rest." Riza called behind her.

"Goodbye, Riza." He called back, giving her a small smile though he knew she couldn't see it.

Riza turned the corner, her boots growing quieter as she did. Roy was stupid to think she couldn't hear the secretary identify herself on the other line. She had always told Roy his phone calls were too loud. The first lieutenant started up the stairs and toward the Furer's office. If Roy thought he could do this alone, he was stupid.

And then she heard him scream.

* * *

**Click the little button of doom? :D**

Perhaps Roy wasn't as strong as he acted. Maybe that first night of fleeting regret was all it took to turn his more-or-less innocent motives into those of revenge. All it took was a phone call and a stack of books to get the ball rolling. Maybe Mustang knew revenge wouldn't bring his best friend back. Maybe that didn't really matter.


	2. Follow Me Into Hell

**Follow Me Into Hell  
**

He expected to feel pain. He had always expected pain to precede death. The Colonel had seen death first hand. He had witnessed the pain in his victim's eyes. Their screams still haunted his dreams to that day. Roy Mustang had thought the screams of those he'd watched die were out of pain from their wounds.

He was wrong.

Roy knew in the moment that the homunculi's fingers stabbed through his chest why the others had cried. They didn't cry from the pain, that was nothing but a subtle prick in the back of his mind, but they cried for the ones they were leaving and for the things they'd never get to do. The scream that forced its way out of his mouth was not for the pain he sustained from the injury, but from the pain of watching his dreams come clamoring in shards at his feet.

Mustang's body hit the floor, hands clutching at the wound in vein as the girl turned away from him. He heard her say something, but it didn't register in his mind what she had said. He was too busy thinking about everything to pay attention. He didn't even notice when she left.

He would never be Fuhrer. Roy Mustang would never be able to change the Military. He did nothing but die for it. What good had that done? Sure, he knew walking into the Fuhrer's room what the risks were. The Colonel had expected to die. He just hadn't counted on it being this painful.

The large, open room spun in front of him. Its beige walls distorted like water. He closed his eyes as his head became heavy. Roy smiled a little, feeling warmth run over him as if he had stepped into a hot shower. The warmth tugged at him, wrapping him up like a blanket. The alchemist groaned, feeling his brain becoming foggier and foggier with each passing second.

"Colonel!" A shriek came from the corner of his consciousness, somewhere between fury and desolation. The warmth pulled away from him for a moment, just enough for the Flame Alchemist to pick his head up slightly off the floor.

Blood had pulled around the Colonel, leaving his dark hair sticky with crimson colored blood. His paling skin was tinted with red from where it had dripped slowly into his face. His blue jacket turned purplish in places from the combination of the red on blue. It was enough to make Riza freeze in her steps.

It took only a moment for the girl to grab her mouth the second the scream exited her body. She saw him pick his head up slightly, his clouding eyes locked on hers for a few moments before his head fell back against the boards of the floor. She could still see the rise and fall of his chest, though it was becoming more and more ragged.

"Riza-" Mustang's crackled and chocked voice was cut off by a series of coughs. The lieutenant hit her knees hard as she fell against the floor beside him. She shook her head as she rocked him back and forth.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Riza attempted to stand up, locking her arms under his. He was dead weight. She crashed back to the floor, a cry escaping her mouth. Riza shook her head and smacked his cheek gently as his eyes closed. "Stay with me, Colonel." Her voice was weaker than she intended for it to be.

"Ri-Riza…" He whispered, choking on the blood in his mouth again. He fought to keep his eyes open. The warmth was so tempting. But he couldn't die yet. He had to talk to Riza. He couldn't stand seeing the pain in her eyes. "I told you t-to go home."

She laughed gently. "I guess I couldn't follow those orders."

"Thank yo..you." He whispered back, eyes closing slowly. The warmth had slowly gotten warmer, until it reminded him of his alchemy. He felt her hand on his cheek. Suddenly, he was shaking. Roy was confused for a few moments, until he realized Riza was the one shaking instead of him. He bit the side of his lip and forced his arm up slowly. It took a lot of strength, pretty much everything he had left to be exact, to put his hand on hers and shake his head. "Don't c-cry."

And then everything went black.

* * *

It was bright, like walking outside in midday after being in a cave. Roy looked around, blinking at the familiar scene. _'Is this… __Resembool__?' _He hadn't been there for ages, why would there now? He stood, finding it miraculously easy to do so, and pivoted on his heels to look around. He was standing in a field, surrounded by grass too green to be real. In fact, everything was like that. The trees that lined the edges of the field were far too colorful, their leaves shades of yellow and orange though the air was too warm to be fall. The sky was painfully bright blue and spotted with equally bright white fluffs of cloud.

He shook his head. "So, this is hell. Resembool. I'll admit, I'm shocked." He spoke to no one, but hearing his own voice seemed to calm him down a bit.

"Well, I wouldn't call this hell, Roy."

The Colonel gasped, turning around with a look of horror plastered across his face. He shook his head. "You're that Homunculus. You're not him. You can't be." He turned away, head in his hands. He froze. '_Riza…_'

"Shouldn't you be saluting me? I am a higher rank than you now." Hughes's glasses flashed in the sunlight. He smiled gently, his voice falling down to a low whisper. "What are you doing here, Colonel?"

Roy sighed, no one could fake Hughes's personality. He smiled, giving his best friend a half-assed salute. Hughes chuckled. "How should I know? I don't even know where I am, exactly."

"There's a lot of names for it." The Brigadier General sighed, allowing his friend a moment to reflect. "We refer to it as the Inbetween. You're not dead, yet, just dying. Once your fate is decided, you will leave."

"Where do I go?"

"I don't know. Mine is yet to be decided."

Roy's eyes grew large. "You're stuck here?" The Flame Alchemist shook his head. That was a horrible fate for anyone, and he knew it.

"Stuck is a strong word." Hughes patted Roy's shoulder. "Here, I can watch over Gracia and Elesia." He pointed to their right, where part of the sky gave way to a large moving picture. Gracia and Elesia were sitting at the dinner table. Elesia rambled on about flowers and her newest toy to her mother while Gracia smiled and nodded as she stared at the empty chair beside her.

"Hughes-" Roy started, turning to his friend before a familiar sound cut him off. The sound of whimpering that shook his heart and made his blood run cold. His head jerked back to the sky, where a new scene showed.

"It changes when someone new comes," Hughes informed him quietly, watching beside Roy.

Riza was shaking, her shoulders bobbing up and down as she rocked the nearly lifeless body of her Colonel. She was shaking her head, whispering something inaudible to them. He could see the tears trailing down her cheeks, falling onto his face without so much of a flinch from his body. Riza's whimpers turned to cries the longer time dragged on. He was starting to wonder if he was dead.

The First Lieutenant cried out. "Roy Mustang wake up, _dammit_!" Her body was wracked with another round of sobs. She had failed. It was her job to protect him, and when it came down to it, there was nothing she could do. She was useless. She had failed.

"Riza…" Roy whispered, causing Hughes to pat him on the shoulder. The scene continued, but Roy looked away. "I was selfish, Hughes." He whispered, closing his eyes.

"No, you were smart. You kept her from getting hurt."

"If she's not hurt, why is shy crying?" He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. The field rumbled. Hughes sighed as the scene disappeared. "No," He started as the image of Riza disappeared. Hughes grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him back, shaking his head.

"Your fate's been decided." He whispered, nodding to tree in front of them. Roy stood straight. He'd take whatever this fate person had to throw at him. He was already dead, what could be worse?

"Roy Mustang," A deep voice echoed through the field. Hughes smiled beside his friend and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Remember: Get yourself a wife."

* * *

Something rough pressed against his cheek. His face was raw from the rough fabric rubbing against it. He could feel something wet on his face. Roy opened his eyes to see a rich blue colored fabric in front of his face. It was familiar. Calming. He blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. The Colonel's body swayed against something in jerky motions. He tried to remember what happened, but all he could focus on was the warmth against him. The Colonel mumbled something, silencing the cries that he hadn't realized he heard.

Warm skin pressed against his face, pulling his head higher. He mumbled, still trying to form words. The alchemist's vision was blurry. He could make out a yellow circle of something in front of him. And brown. Two brown orbs.

'_Riza!'_

Mustang grabbed his lieutenant and forced her into a hug with newfound strength. He could hear her gasp from his unexpected movement. He could feel the warmth of his bodyguard against his chest. She was still shaking. _'Probably just adrenaline.' _He concluded after a moment of thought. Riza's fingers squeezed the front of his still bloodstained jacket. He blinked for a moment, not sure how to comfort her.

"H-how?" She asked between shaky gasps of air. Riza's red, puffy eyes stared up at him. Roy couldn't begin to answer her. He just stared down at her with his steely dark eyes, watching those brown orbs that he had been so sure he'd never see again. "You had no pulse… I checked." She whispered, gaze dropping down to the ground.

He pulled her back against him, propping his chin atop her head. "Do you remember when you came to my office after the war?" His voice was so quiet, fragile, but it never cracked. He was determined. No, stubborn was a better word. He'd been so focused on his career and dreams that he never stopped to think about what would happen once he succeeded. Roy Mustang had never thought about what would happen to Riza. She'd been there from the beginning.

"Yeah," She laughed between her sobs. The lieutenant pushed herself away from the Colonel. It wasn't a good idea to get too close to him. She knew that. The military had its regulations for things like that, and all it would do was slow them down.

Roy coughed, blood spattering against the ground as he did so. He groaned in what seemed like agitation. Riza tried to force him to stand again, he shook his head and motioned for her to stop. He smiled at her gently. "You told me you'd follow me into hell," He paused for a moment as she gave him a confused look. He simply smiled back at her, feeling the edges of his vision going blurry. This time, the warmth didn't come; it was just the darkness. He was losing too much blood.

He reached up to brush some of her hair out of her eyes. "I had to make sure you wouldn't follow through on that."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was kinda shippy. I'm sorry, I just love them. They're too perfect. Review guys! I wanna hear some constructive criticism! **


End file.
